You will need 10-20GB of free space due to the large example database installed in several MySQL/MariaDB versions at the same time. Manual for the Virtual machine in short: VirtualBox > File > Import Appliance... > Start > Login as User: dbahire / Password: dbahire > Run startxfce4

Option two – DIY (setting your own environment)

If you do not want to use a virtual machine or you prefer using your own cloud or bare metal server/laptop for testing, here you have all the pieces separately, but it may take you some time to put them together. You do not need these if you downloaded the Virtual Machine:

Install an operating system, I recommend Linux. While MySQL is multiplatform, some specific features and 3rd party scripts explained are linux or unix-only. The virtual machine mentioned above has CentOS 7 preinstalled, which I will use on my presentation.